Process of producing fertilizer materials and the products obtained therefrom.



UNITED srarnermrnnr OFFICE.

PERCY'HUTCHINS CARTER, OF SAVANNAH, GEORGIA.

PROCESS, OF PRODUCING FERTILIZER MATERIALS AND THE PRODUCTS OBTAINEDTHEREFROM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 4, 1919.

No Drawing. Application filed March 23, 1917, Serial No. 156,935.Renewed November 20, 1918. Serial To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PERCY H. CARTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Savannah, in'the county of Chatham and State of Georgia,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes ofProducing Fertilizer Materials and the Products Obtained Therefrom, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a process of producing fertilizer materialfrom fertilizer stick and to the treatment of cyanamid to obtaintherefrom a material intended primarily for use in such process butadopted for other uses.

The invention also consists in the products of such processes.

As is well known in the fertilizer art, cyanamid is valuable as a sourceof ammonia, and attempts have been made to use it in connection withfertilizers or their constituents. Thus it has been proposed to addcyanamid to acid phosphate rock or compounds containing availablephosphoric acid. It was found, however, that the cyanamid will cause theavailable phosphoric acid to revert to the unavailable form. It has beenstated that this action of cyanamid will be overcome if not over 80pounds of cyanamid is added to a ton of fertilizer material containingavailable phosphoric acid. It is thus apparent that the proportionofcyanamid which can be employed in connection with phosphates infertilizer materials is so small as to militate against its use infertilizer manufacture.

In accordance with my invention, the cyanamid is so treated that it maybe added to fertilizer material containing available phosphoric acid,such as calcium acid phosphate. or other fertilizer material, andparticularly to fertilizer stick, in any desired proportions, and far inexcess of 80 pounds of cyanamid to oneton of the fertilizer materialwithout producing the injurious effect referred to.

Cyanamid as now produced and used is a caustic product whose use is veryobjectionable to workmen, in that it injuriously effects the skin,causing eruptions. In my process, this objection is also effectuallyovercome. 1 a

In accordance with my process, I grind or otherwise finely divide nitercake and mix the same with cyanamid. The niter cake having acidproperties, its acidity neutralizes the caustic properties of thecyanamid.

As to the proportions of niter cake which are to be added to thecyanamid, I have found that the same may be widely varied depending uponthe acidity of the niter cake and the alkalinity of the cyanamid.Preferably a sufiicient amount of the ground niter cake should be addedto the cyanamid to neutralize or substantially neutralize the latter, itbeing understood however that it is not necessary that the cyanamid bewholly or completely neutralized, as some degree of success may beobtained by employing the product either somewhat acid or somewhatalkaline.

In cases where it is desired to further increase theammonia content in afertilizer, the acidity of the niter cake may be increased by theaddition thereto of an acid such as sulfuric acid. It will be apparentthat where acid is added a larger proportion of'cyanamid would have tobe added to the acid niter cake to produce a product which is neutral orsubstantially neutral.

The product thus obtained may be added to acid phosphate rock or otherfertilizer material without causing the available phosphoric acid torevert to the unavailable form. As is well known in the art, fertilizerstick obtained from slaughter houses, garbage plants, fish factories,and the like, posmarked advanta es as a fertilizer or fertilizerconstituent. The material is, however, normally semi-liquid, viscous,and deliqucscent, and this prevents its use without further treatment asa fertilizer constituent. Great difficulty has heretofore beenexperienced in converting this semi-liquid material into solid stableform.

Now, I have discovered that if the product the stick without the loss ofammonia and this loss of ammonia takes place from both the cyanamid andthe stick. When the cyanamid treated in accordance with my process isadded to the stick, ammonia is not lost from either the cyanamid or thestick. I I

It is to be'understood that the use of the product which results fromtreating the cyanamid with the niter cake is not necessarily restrictedto the treatment of the stick in accordance with my process, but may .beadvantageously used in connection with acid phosphate or any othersuitable fertilizer material.

While I have described in detail the preferred practice of myprocess,'and proportions of ingredients employed therein. it is to beunderstood that such process is not limited to the'exact details ofprocedure set forth, nor to the proportion of ingredients recited, butthat these may be widely varied without departing from the spirit of myinvention or the scope of they subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I 5 claim: a I

1. The herein described process of producing a fertilizer material,which consists in subjecting cyanamid'to the action of niter cake,subjecting fertilizer stick to the action of the product thus obtainedand allowing the mass to dry and' harden. 1 i I 2. The herein describedprocess of producing a fertilizer material, which consists in mixingcyanamid and pulverized niter cake in such proportions as to produceasubstan; tially neutral product, subjecting fertilizer stick to theaction of the product thus 0b taincd, and allowing the mass to harden.

3. The herein described product compris ing cyanamid niter cake, andfertilizer stick in substantially dry form. I

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.v 1

PERCY HUTCHINS CARTER. Witnesses:

N ELLIE A. LLOYD, J. READSWEAT.

